Cross-country ski race location moved because of snowmobiling conflicts
Novices and experts alike are the target of the fifth annual cross-country ski race on March 8, sponsored by Nordic United. This year, the race, called the Ullr (OO-ler) Chase, will have varied cross-country ski lengths designed to accommodate kids and adults, beginners and experts, said Josh Anderson, this year’s race director. Located at Sink Hollow, near Beaver Mountain, the event features a 1k loop for children and a 5k loop to be used in the 5k, 10k and 25k races, he said. Soup, bread and cookies will be provided to everyone, he said, as well as T-shirts and raffle tickets for all who register. People interested in registering should print off a registration form and liability waiver from Nordic United’s Web site, Anderson said. The Outdoor Recreation Center rents out cross-country ski gear, he said, and people can bring their traditional “kick and glide” cross-country skis. “Also, because it’s a loop race, it makes a great spectator sport,” he said. “People who just want to get out of the city can come and watch.” About 75 people raced in last year’s event, and Anderson said he expects about 50 to 100 people this year. The hardest part about this year’s event and what makes it so different from last year is that it’s catered to a largely different group of people, he said. Both the format and the length of the races races are quite different from last year’s race, he said. “It was kind of a default thing,” he said. The Ullr Chase, for the past two years, ran a large loop starting in Logan Canyon, going toward Franklin and into Idaho, and ended back in Logan Canyon. The course ran 40K, or about 25 miles. However, in order to do this, Nordic United had to close a snowmobiling trail for the event for safety reasons, which “caused an uproar” among snowmobilers, Anderson said. Mark Sels, president of Nordic United, said the closure of the snowmobiling trail caused some snowmobilers to take action to prevent it from happening again. “The motorized group is a very powerful lobby group,” he said. “They have good connections, politically.” Sels said the group has particularly strong influence in Utah and Idaho. Due to this, he said, the Idaho Forest Service denied Nordic United permission to close off the trail within Idaho boundaries. Although they could still use the trail, they couldn’t close it off for the race. “In reality, to run a ski race, you need places closed to motorized vehicles,” Sels said. Nordic United started to look at other options for the race, he said, and came upon this idea of using a loop track. The organization maintains the track throughout the season. “We run classes on the track, so it makes sense to use the trail we’ve groomed all year,” Sels said. Anderson said the new format of the race also falls in with the goals of the organization more than previous formats have. “We’re trying to target people who are just starting to fool around with cross-country skiing,” he said. “This is a community-based event, not a hard-core wilderness trek.” According to its Web site, nordicunited.org, the organization’s mission goals include to “develop programs to teach the community cross-country and back-country skiing” and to “help provide groomed ski trail opportunities for the community.” In grooming and maintaining groomed ski trails, Nordic United works with other non-profit organizations and government agencies, including the ORC, the Stokes Nature Center and the Forest Service. Sels said the trails maintained by Nordic United with these other agencies are around Beaver Mountain and Green Canyon. The organization itself has been around for about six to seven years, Sels said, and he’s been around since the beginning. However, this is his first year as president. His role in the Ullr Chase is to provide grooming for the race track and find volunteers to help run the race, he said. The race is just one branch of the organization and is the last in a series of races which take place every two weeks during the winter, he said. “As the last one, it’s kind of a celebration,” he said. Anderson said this race is different from the previous races this winter because it is a celebration, so prizes are awarded to winners from each race. The grand prize is one of two $150 gift cards to Trailhead, he said, given to the winner from the men’s and women’s 25K race. The 5K and 10K races will both have prizes awarded too. Sels said this is the fifth annual cross-country race put on by Nordic United, but the event is still changing frequently in format and venue. Still, he said, the name and the goal of the event will stay the same. Anderson said the broad base of people to which the event is directed makes the event even better. “It’s food, camaraderie, and a lot of people to get introduced to cross-country skiing,” he said. Registration is open and is $20 for ages 15 and over, and $5 for ages 14 and under. The race begins 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 7. For more information, go to nordicunited.org.
-lisa.m.christensen@aggiemail.usu.edu